ARM A Family Of Agents
by Grant Crose
Summary: An insight on the daily lives of the agents of the Active Risk Management agency of Acmetropolis. Slice of Life. (Previous reading of "Loonatics United: Module 1" is recommended). Note: This is a work of mere fiction, any supernatural concept depicted here shall not be believed in or practiced in any way. Violence of any kind is not encouraged in any way.
1. Chapter 1

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Praise-

I always wake up with images of him in my head, Tech E. Coyote, he saved me, I thought I was doomed forever but I was very wrong, everytime I remember living inside that monster, thinking on him calms me down, don't get me wrong I think I'm sounding like if I'm in love with him or something but is not like that, and he has a girlfriend anyway, what was her name? Oh, Susan, yeah she was nice to me too, I mean all of them, it pains me to know that I hurt them, well she made me do it, Mourn, but its hard for me to not feel attached to what she did when I was her host, I don't know, I still feel guilty, very guilty.

The designs I was working on last night are next to me, I must have fallen asleep when I was doing them, I slept with my bodysuit on, it's quite comfortable maybe that's why I couldn't stand the sleepiness I was fighting around four in the morning, my hair must be a mess, this is the last time I work over my bed. I stand up and gather my projects, my desktop is full of unfinished designs so I just put them over that pile, I walk to my bathroom to check my hair which is indeed a mess, the mirror should've got broken, I open the handle of the sink and wet my hands then I pour the drops of water on my hair, my hands know the drill so I get it right on place in seconds, now the final touch, I grab my fleck and cover one of my eyes with it, I smile at myself, quite forcedly, I notice that my cheek has a line of black lipstick, I don't want to see how my pillow must've gotten painted in black too, I take some water again and clean off my face and lips, I check my ear, the piercing is there, I just need to look for my lipstick to get totally ready, maybe I left it in the kitchen, I was in a rush yesterday so I used the reflection of the toaster to paint my lips while having breakfast, yeah it must be there.

I get out of my room and head to the kitchen, I see that no one has gotten up yet, not even Peyton, weird from her, she is always the first one to start the day. I arrive at the kitchen and just as I supposed, my black lipstick is there, next to the toaster, I take it and use the reflection again to paint my lips then I put down the stick on one of my suit's bag.

A strong desire of returning to bed comes, but I have so much work to do, and I'm so tired, a coffee shall do, what's a day without some anyway? I take a cup and look for some of the coffee pills that uncle Tech gave to us, yeah I like to call him that way, I don't know why, I never had an uncle and he looks like one, not a bad, grumpy one but one who cares and is cool, I find the box where the pills are then I take one and put it on my favorite mug, it wasn't too long ago when I retook my normal life but it's easy to overrate almost everything when you had lived in complete darkness like I did. The mug is kinda dumb in design, it's just plain white and has a printed sunflower, I like complicated, technical designs better, but this mug is very special to me, Anne made me a tea the first night I came to live here with them and she used this mug, I won't forget the warmth of that night, like, ever. The liquid coffee is already there, hot and ready to drink, is awesome, truly awesome, I take the first sip, my tongue hurts slightly by the hotness of the coffee but I can stand it, I put the mug on the bar to wait for it to cool down a little bit, Peyton likes to use ice instead, I even had a discussion with her about that being awful and all but it's just her style I guess, and speaking of, she is approaching the kitchen, she smiles at me like every morning, she has already dressed up fully, she would be still with the blue striped pajamas she uses at night if I were her.

* * *

Author´s note: Hi! First of all, thank you very much for reading, I really appreciate it, I enjoyed writing this a lot, it was amazing for me to discover how different is to see the world from the character´s point of view compared to seeing it from the omniscient narrator´s one. This spin-off of my main saga "Loonatics United: Module 1" was something I´d been planning to do pretty much since the creation of A.R.M. at the end of Magnus´arc, I hope you like this new material, is something I don´t tend to do, you know, something without an actual plot to follow, this is just a story of a family messing around, that´s all, but I´m sure it will enrich the OC s in a great level, and is something I can update much more regularly than the main Loonatics story. This was also a matter of celebration, it´s been one year since the main story was published, for the first anniversary of Loonatics: United, it may not be a big deal but for me is very important, is an accomplishment that I would´ve never achieved without you, all of you, thank you very much for being there at every update, every episode, thanks a lot. God bless you all and Merry Christmas!

Grant.


	2. Chapter 2

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Peyton-

She woke up earlier today, good for her, maybe she is learning a bit from me, technically I'm newer than her in the agency but she is too young that I can't stop trying to be some kind of model for her, not that I am that good of a model, but she needs help, it's like my responsibility to show good habits. "Good morning, Praise." I try to sound charming, I find her quite depressive, she has some right by everything she went through, but a smile always helps, even an exaggerated one.

"Hi." She smiles briefly with her eyes closed then looks at her coffee.

"Need some ice?" I joke, I like to cool my coffee using ice but she thinks that is disgusting.

"No, thank you." She replies then takes the cup and test the coffee, it looks it has reached the right temperature for her. "See? I just waited." She takes another sip.

I just pretend a laugh at the comment and walk towards the electric stove. "Do you want breakfast?"

"You know the answer to that." And I knew she was going to say that.

I take some eggs from the basket in front of me then take out a pan. "Could you hand me the oil?" I am able to see the lazyness on her face.

"Okay." Praise has no choice, she gets the bottle and hands it to me.

"Thank you." I pour the oil over the pan then crack the eggs and put them on it, I get the stove going and grab a spatula from the drawer to start mixing the eggs.

"So, what's for today?" Praise asks, I stay concentrated on my cooking.

"Not much, I'll go to the cinema." I have been training all week on the flight simulator, I deserve some me time.

"Lucky." Praise says, then I look at her.

"Why? You should take some time to relax too." I notice the eyebags under her eyelids. "Tell me, did you even sleep last night?"

Praise yawns. "A few hours, maybe."

"If you feel Matt is pushing you we can…" Praise interrupts me.

"Oh no, no it was kinda my shot, you know." Praise sighs. "I must finish those designs."

I consider inviting her to the movies, honestly, I hate going to the cinema with others, but she needs it, she is pushing herself too hard. "Well, forget about those for today, you'll go with me." The eggs are ready, I take two plates and start to serve them.

"Oh, thanks Peyton but I really have to finish my drawings." Praise resists to the invitation.

"Come on! One day won't hurt, will it?" One part of me wishes she keeps saying no, but I guess that's selfish.

Praise is thoughtful, she sighs again and looks at me with a grin. "Alright, maybe I need some distraction."

I smile at her as I give her her plate. "It's official, then." I grab mine and sit down in front of the bar, Praise sits at the other side just in front of me.

As we eat, I try to make up some more conversation. "So, how's the training going?"

"With Anne?" Praise says with her mouth full, covering it with a hand. "Fine, I guess, I'm still learning, though."

I chuckle. "She always beats me in no time, I bet you resist more."

Praise grins briefly. "Yeah, but she is still far better than me." She keeps eating. I nod casually and keep eating my breakfast, already thinking about what movie would be nice to see.


	3. Chapter 3

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Matt-

I take my jacket from the closet, it's the last thing left for me to get fully suited up, I zip it quickly and now I'm good to go, but first I go to the bathroom and wash my face with some water, I dry it out with the towel at my side then look at myself in the mirror, the effects of sleep are still distinguishable yet minimum, I exit the bathroom then walk out of my room.

I see the clock in my comm, it's late, but I don't hear any noise other than some distant sounds of the traffic and the street's crowd, the new girls must be still sleeping, same as my fiancee, Anne, I feel the need to go to her room and wake her up, I take a few steps on the hallway then reach the door, I open it and the first thing I see is the beautiful, sleepy face of my girlfriend, the blankets keep her captive, she is using that lovely pink nightgown she always wears to get through the night. I start to approach her, trying to walk silently to avoid waking her up in an abrupt way, her closed eyes reflect peace, I admire her beauty then caress her face and lean towards her, I kiss her forehead, then she starts to open her eyes.

"Good morning." She greets me with a smile then kisses me.

I return her the grin then kiss her too. "Good morning, hon."

She yawns and stretches, then looks at the clock on the table next to her. "Twelve already?" She gets free from the blankets and stands up then walks towards the closet. "Did you got up earlier?" Anne opens the closet's door and takes her bodysuit.

"I've just did, like you." I yawn. "I think the girls are still asleep."

Anne gets in the bathroom and closes the door. "It seems we all needed some extra for the day." She says, leveling up her voice slightly so I can hear her.

"Yeah." I do the same. "This week was pretty tough."

"I know, like, the robbery, the bomb threat." Anne replies. "I'm amazed we're all still in one piece."

I chuckle. "I think that's easy stuff compared to what the Loonatics face every time, my nerves would've got destroyed already."

Anne gets out, having dressed up with her bodysuit. "Well that doesn't mean we don't work as hard as they do, we just take care of different things, that's all." She approaches me.

I sigh then look at her. "Yeah, it's just that, the times I've spoken with Ace during our shared missions, I've noticed something, like if he is getting, tired, you know."

She kisses my cheek. "That's understandable, they've been carrying the weight of a planet on their shoulders for years now, but we are here to make that weight a little bit lighter for them."

I nod at her argument. "That's a neat way to see it, I guess."

She smiles and strokes my face. "Come on, I'm making you breakfast."

I give her a kiss of gratitude. "You are incredible, hon, did you know that?"

She chuckles and returns the favor. "I know."


	4. Chapter 4

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Anne-

I've finished eating my baguette, Matt is still enjoying his on the same spot of the table that he always chooses, I stand up and bring my plate to the sink and start cleaning it, while doing so I see a note over the bar, I rinse up the plate and dry it with the towel then put it in the drawer. I dry my hands then take the note, which says: 'Went to the movies -Peyton and Praise.' I read it out loud then Matt looks at me.

"So those two gave themselves a day off." He takes his plate and approaches the sink, standing next to me. "That's a game we could play too." He just leaves the dish there, preferring to deal with it later.

"You got anything in mind?" I couldn't come up with ideas on the matter, leisure activities are something I'm not quite accustomed too, the closest thing I have are the training sessions I regularly spend with Matt and the girls.

Matt is thoughtful, not for long as he lifts his gaze then looks at me again. "The sports club, maybe?"

I nod as I like the idea. "Sounds good to me, it's been months since we last went there, it shall be fun."

Matt smiles then starts to leave the kitchen. "I'll pack my stuff, then." He walks through the hallway then gets into his room.

I grin at knowing we have finally got a chance to breathe a little, the club is amazing there are lots of things to do, I should go get my stuff ready but I can't stand that dirty dish he left abandoned in the sink so I take it and clean it rapidly with the sponge, I dry it with the towel and put it in the drawer.

I'm in my room looking for some casual clothes in the closet, I see a red T-shirt that looks just fine, I take it and put it over my bed, I keep looking and spot a pair of jeans on the closet's second level, I grab them and just throw them over the T-shirt, that's the outfit I'll put on in brief. Now the gear, I look for my shorts, I have only one pair so they shall not be hard to find, here they are, hidden behind the stuff I tend to use more usually, they're black sport shorts that I like to combine with a top of the same color that must be somewhere in a drawer. I take the shorts then close the closet and head towards the chest of drawers that is about a meter next to my bed, I crouch and open the third drawer as that is the one I tend to open less frequently, and in that first try, I find my black top, I take it and walk towards the bed to put it there along with the pair of shorts. I'm almost done, but I need something else, the club has a pool so it would be dumb not to be prepared, my red swimsuit should be in the same drawer from where I got the top, it's still open so I just approach it and start looking for it.

After taking out some obscure clothes I finally find my swimsuit, I put the clothes back in the drawer then close it, I stand up and put the swimsuit among the rest of my stuff, I'm good to go, I just have to get changed and I'll be totally ready.

Having put on the casual attire I had chosen and kept my gear on a dark blue bag that I like to bring with me in long missions, I leave my room and encounter with my boyfriend on the hallway, he is wearing brown short trousers and a white T-shirt, he blushes and just let out a nervous chuckle. "Pretty ridiculous, huh?"

I grin and approach him, then I kiss him with an embrace. "I think you look handsome."

He chuckles and kisses me back, then does a quick check at my clothes with his gaze. "You look good too."

"That's all?" I strengthen my embrace and get my face closer to his.

"Gorgeous." He kisses me. "That's the word."

I laugh subtly at his comment. "We should get going." I undo the hug and walk past him.

I'm leaning over a wall on the outside of the office, some people we know pass by on their cars and look at me with confusion, I don't blame them, they always see me in that bodysuit, dressed for duty, Matt sounds the hover-bike's klaxon, getting my attention instantly. "May I take you for a ride? Lady?" He jokes, I notice he has hung up his bag on the back of the vehicle, I approach it and hang my own bag next to his. I get over the vehicle, sitting behind him, I embrace him to hold tighter on the trip and lean my head on his back. "Hold on." He advises then accelerates.


	5. Chapter 5

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Praise-

Peyton and I are walking between the various shops in the plaza's second floor, it is a lovely, outdoors place full of people who just want to distract themselves from whatever problems they got, I find awesome things at every corner I glance, maybe when the film ends I should tell Peyton if we can explore the stores more calmly, even if it's just window shopping, that's enough for me.

We arrive at the cinema, the decoration is quite of my taste, black walls just as the ceiling and the floor and some blue lights illuminating the place, the billboard is being displayed by a big screen a couple of meters above us. "So, what are we seeing?" I ask, Peyton sighs and studies the available movies and schedules.

"What about, that one?" She points at the poster of a romantic comedy of some sort, the name of the film is 'Fly To You', I'm not a fan of that kind of films, I'm more into horror movies, I'll see if I can find something better, if not, I'll just see whatever she wants, it doesn't really matter.

I start to look carefully at all the posters then I find a film that looks cool for me. "Hey, 'The Monster I Live With', that one looks good." Yeah, sounds absurdly familiar to what I experienced for all those years with Mourn, but I can't find another similar option.

Peyton cringes. "You sure? Honestly, I was looking for something a little more, you know, optimistic." She looks at me with eyes of plead, I look again at the 'Fly To Me' poster, I manage to find something that wakes some interest in me.

"Sure, that otter looks quite handsome, anyway." I accept to see the romantic film, I like the looks of the lead actor, maybe that's why she wants to see that specific movie so badly, or because it's a movie about pilots, judging by the poster's design.

Her eyes widen. "I know, right?! He is Clayton Clark, don't you know him?" I notice that fan girl glow on her gaze.

"No, I've never heard of him." I get prepared for a probable list of random facts.

"Oh he is so cool he does all his stunts, before he became an actor he was a waiter in a modest restaurant on the city's downtown, he has won lots of prizes through his career and of course he is so handsome!" I think she knows a little bit too much about this guy.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" I say then she nods and I'm pretty sure she jumped a little bit by the excitement, she heads to the box-office and starts to acquire the tickets.

"It's official." Peyton approaches me and shows me the two tickets. "It starts at three."

"That's two hours to kill." I say, knowing we won't just stay there waiting for the movie to start.

"Yeah." Peyton responds, putting down the tickets. "You wanna check out some shops?" I was waiting for her to just say that.

"Sure!" I can't hold my excitement. "Can we go to ACMEFashion first? I saw a beautiful hat on a vitrine."

"A hat?" Peyton questions, I understand as it is quite an unorthodox type of wear these days.

"Yeah, it would look fantastic on me, it combines with my lipstick and clothes." Again, I reveal my taste for black clothing and accessories.

Peyton grins then nods. "Sure, but I'll buy it to you just if it really fits you as you say."

"Oh, no is not necessary I just want to try it on and see how I look, you don't have to do that." I don't want to look like an opportunist, the hat seemed kind of expensive to be honest.

Peyton chuckles and rolls her eyes up. "Don't be ridiculous! Come on." She puts her hand over my shoulder and starts to take us both towards the shopping area.

As we walk towards the shop, I keep seeing what products the stores we walk by offer. "A robot toothbrush, but why?" I point at the articulated and weird thing behind the shop's glass.

Peyton looks at it and shakes her head. "Laziness, extravagance, maybe?" She returns her gaze to the front.

I chuckle. "In my house we barely survived with an end of century microwave." Maybe that's why I don't tend to get that crazy for the new trending technology that comes out every two weeks, besides, uncle Tech is millenniums ahead of the trash they want us to buy.

Peyton looks at me. "It must've been hard."

I nod. "You have no idea." I stop walking for a moment, she does the same. "But that is gone, my family is gone and that's good." I can't stop the tear that starts to slide down over my cheek. "Maybe I just didn't deserve nice parents." I'm back into the dark memories, the pain, the bruises, the fights, I hate my mind's desire to remember me how trashy my life was.

Peyton stays quiet, then she hugs me suddenly, I gasp a little bit by her unexpected action. "You deserved the nicest of families, Praise, don't say that." She breaks the hug and glares at me. "Maybe we can't live up to that, but be sure we all care for you, a lot, and we are never leaving you, it's a promise, okay?"

Her words create a lump in my throat, as I find difficult to speak without revealing a cry, I just hug her strongly. She hugs me back. After feeling reassured by her words of caring and empathy, I find courage to say a single word. "Thanks."


	6. Chapter 6

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Peyton-

Praise and I approach the store, she puts her finger on the glass to point at the black hat she had spotted. "It's that." I grin at her notorious excitement.

"Well, let's get in." Praise enters the store followed by me, it has a strange aesthetic, artificial black trees on the corners and plastic plants covering the ceiling, also black. I glare at my sides and find Praise already trying on the hat, she turns and looks at me, waiting for my opinion. The hat suits her quite well.

"What do you think?" Praise says then lowers her head a bit for me to get a better look. I can't find any objective flaws on her image so I just nod.

"Like if it was just made for you, girl." I say, then I start to take my wallet but she walks towards me and stops me from doing it.

"Wait!" Praise says. "I have to find something for you!"

"Oh no." I try to make up an excuse. "I'm not quite into dark clothes, you know." I'm being honest here, I enjoy more vivid textures.

"Come on, they'll get along with your fur." She argues, I have no answer for what she has just said.

"Uhm, well, maybe just a T-shirt or something." I give her the chance to find me a garment, she smiles and goes to one of the many rails with clothes, I just wait there for her, she is rapidly sliding the clothes with the help of the hangers, discarding one by one, she finds something and studies it briefly then walks towards me while holding the T-shirt.

"Look what I've found!" Praise raises the T-shirt right in front of me, it is plain black and has a big, feline white paw printed over.

I scratch my chin with doubt. "A little, basic, don't you think?"

"That's the point!" Praise insists. "It's the last trend!"

I take the garment and glare at it a bit more, then I sigh. "I'll try it on."

"You'll look great with it." Praise gives me a thumbs up. "I guarantee you that." I just smile and head to the dressing room to put on the T-Shirt.

I look at myself on the mirror, Praise was right, it combines nicely with my fur. I review my looks one more time and confirm it looks good on me, I hear someone knocking the door.

"Are you done? Can I see?" It's Praise, I open the door to let her see me, she grins and puts both hands on her cheeks.

"Oh you look much better than I thought!" Praise says, I take that as a compliment.

I let out a brief chuckle. "Yeah, I love it, actually." I turn my gaze from the T-shirt to her. "You were right."

"I told you it was a guarantee." Praise replies.

Having put my red sleeveless shirt back on, I proceed to pay for her hat and the black T-shirt she chose for me. I use my card to pay for those and the employee gives me the clothes on a black bag, what a surprise, and hands me the receipt.

We exit the shop and I suddenly feel a squeezing hug from her. "Thank you, Peyton! You are the best!"

I chuckle and hug her back. "Your welcome, Praise."


	7. Chapter 7

A.R.M. A Family Of Agents

-Matt-

We arrive at the club through the entrance, the place is inside a large building, the ceiling is designed to look like if it was a genuine blue sky during the day and in the night it turns dark just as the real one on the outside, with stars and even a moon. It's three already so the club is still in day mode, there are lots of different areas to explore, our favorite is the holographic tennis court, we don't even need to bring gear like rackets or something, it is very advanced technology even for the city's standards. As we walk upstairs, Anne gasps and I look at her. "What?"

"The admission cards, we forgot them." Anne says.

There is no access without the credentials but the guy on the door is actually a friend of mine. "Don't worry, hon, they'll let us in."

Anne raises an eyebrow. "But we have no cards."

I chuckle with confidence. "Believe me, there's no problem."

We reach the access doors which are made of glass, Donnie recognizes me instantly, he is a badger I've known pretty much since we both were kids, he is wearing the common attire of the club's staff, a white polo shirt and pants. "Mattie! My old fellow!" He approaches me and pats my shoulder strongly. "It's been a while! I heard you became some sort of mercenary."

"Well, we are agents actually but people tend to make that comparison." I put my hand on his shoulder. "But tell me? How's the family?"

"Oh good, yeah Elena found a job at a beauty salon and my son was born about three months ago." Donnie says.

I smirk. "Congratulations, Don."

Donnie nods. "Thanks." He looks at Anne. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Anne, how are you?"

Anne grins. "Good, thank you."

Don looks back at me. "When did you get married?"

I blush a little. "Well, we aren't there yet but, soon, aren't we, hon?"

Anne nods. "I hope so, we have something simple in mind, you know, not like a big, noisy party."

Donnie nods with a smirk. "Sure, and it's not that what counts." He puts both hands on our shoulders. "Remember that you two, from your old pal Donnie." He looks at us both. "Do you understand?"

I chuckle. "Of course we do, Don." It is time to mention the card thing. "Uhm, Donnie, you see, I know there are strict rules about the cards and all…" He interrupts me.

"Oh I totally understand pal, don't worry." Donnie got what I was saying instantly. "Well, I wish you both the best, I'm not taking more of your time." He approaches his desktop and presses a button next to the computer over his desktop, then the small, glass made doors open in front of us.

"Are you sure, Don? I mean, we don't want to cause you any trouble." I say.

"Sure! Is fine!" Don insists.

We finally enter. "Thank you, Don, I truly appreciate it." I shake his hand then he shakes Anne's. "Say hi to Elena for us."

"Oh, sure pal." Don replies. "Thanks."

While we walk on the ornamented, artificial rocky pathway that leads to the tennis courts, Anne starts to talk about the wedding. "We shall do a small celebration, I'm thinking of the agency." Basically, she wants to have a dinner at home.

I nod as I agree at her idea of a truer, little party with our closest friends. "Sure." I take her hand. "Shall we invite Hill?"

Anne cringes a little. "Uhm, I don't know, what you think?"

I get thoughtful, is not that we have any trouble with him but let's say we got a little, distant. "Calling him won't make any harm, I guess, we worked with him after all."

"Thinking about it, it's practically thanks to him that we even met." Anne says.

I chuckle. "Certainly." I kiss her cheek. "And that was the best part of our time there."

Anne sighs. "Alright, I'll give him a call."

"Cool." I reply.

We have arrived at the tennis courts, they are divided by green, tall grids, the field is covered with clay as an old fashioned court, the net´s posts have a button over them which serve to start a match. Anne is wearing black shorts and a top of the same color, attire she always brings when we play tennis, I just get by with what I'm wearing. She approaches a post to press the button and start the game. The court's sensors detect us both and puts holographic rackets on our hands, the game hands Anne a holographic ball, transparent blue as the rackets, she walks away from the post to get on the starting point, she bounces the ball a couple of times before throwing it gently upwards, ready to give the first strike.


End file.
